MASTERS OF HORROR-IMPRINT (DVD/TAKASHI MILKE) DVD

Imprint
An American journalist in search of the love he once left behind travels to a mysterious Japanese island where the past is best left forgotten in the one installment of Showtime's Masters of Horror series that was too controversial for American television. It was long ago that Christopher (Billy Drago) met the mysterious prostitute who captured his heart, but their grim fate was forever sealed when he left the island with only a promise to return one day in the future. Unlike many of the insincere souls who promise to spirit the prostitutes away from the dark and infernal island, Christopher actually made good on his word. However, life is cheap on this bewitched island where the local brothel is the sole refuge for weary souls, and though he ultimately proved to be a rare exception to the rule, Christopher has taken far too long to fulfill his promise. Now, as he shares his woeful tale with a horribly scarred whore (Youki Kudoh) whose knowledge of his long lost love's true fate may prove more of a curse than a blessing, Christopher is about to discover that there are times when death can be the kindest release of all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cast Billy Drago as Christopher Youki Kudoh as Toshie Negishi as Madam Michie as

Crew Michiko Kitamura - Costume Designer Takashi Miike - Director Yasushi Shimamura - Editor Koji Endo - Composer (Music Score) Yuichi Matsui - Makeup Special Effects Takashi Sasaki - Production Designer Toyomichi Kurita - Cinematographer Daisuke Tengan - Screenwriter Misako Saka - CGI Effects Shimako Iwai - Short Story Author

Imprint
Upon announcing that they would not be airing notorious celluloid outlaw Takashi Miike's unrelenting and uncompromising entry into Mick Garris' oft-tepid Masters of Horror series due to concerns over its extreme content, pay-cable giant Showtime caught quite a bit of flack for flinching, and rightly so. Touted from the onset as a series that would allow filmmakers complete creative control over their vision while allowing them the rare opportunity (at least as far as horror anthology shows are concerned) to work outside of the increasingly stringent restraints of network television, the so-called "Masters" would ultimately go on to prove just how much value they truly placed on artistic freedom by censoring Dario Argento's expectedly gory entry and refusing outright to air Miike's episode in America. Ultimately relegated to a world premiere on the United Kingdom's Bravo network, Miike's Imprint is every bit as shocking, original, horrific, and audacious as one would hope for from a series bold enough to proclaim that it was presenting the works of the "Masters" of an entire genre. Stated simply, Imprint is horror in its purest and most powerful form. A surreal and devastatingly horrific journey to an island hell that seems to have bubbled up from the deepest pits of the underworld after being deemed too morally corrupt by Old Scratch himself, Imprint tells the tale of an American journalist named Christopher who has returned to an island populated by sadistic whores and saki-swilling murderers to rescue the prostitute he loves and spirit her away to America so that the pair may live happily ever after. His return has come too little too late, however, and upon discovering that his love seems to have been swallowed up by the scourge that has engulfed the land, Christopher's quest to seek out the truth behind her disappearance quickly leads him down a pitch-black path of torture, abortion, alcoholism, abuse, incest, deformity, and lies -- all punctuated by flinch-testing footage that will no doubt be considered shocking to even the most seasoned Miike fan. It's obvious that Miike took the "no restrictions, no compromises" mantra of the Masters of Horror to heart, and one would think that Garris and company knew what they were in for when they hired the man behind such notorious shockers as Audition and Ichi the Killer. Though the dialogue in Miike's first English-language production is frequently stilted and often awkward, the strange vocal cadence of the performers actually ends up helping to maintain the off-kilter atmosphere of the film by placing it in a world that seems to exist somewhere far outside the natural realm. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DDS: Dolby Digital Surround Additional Features: cc Widescreen presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs I Am the Film Director of Love and Freedom: an interview with Takashi Miike Imperfect Beauty: the make-up and special effects of Imprint Imprinting: the making of Imprint - featuring interviews with cast and crew Audio commentary with author, musician and American cinematheque programmer Chris D. and writer Wyatt Doyle of newtexture.com Trailers Still gallery Takashi Miike bio DVD-ROM: screenplay DVD-ROM: screen saver DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1: Alternate Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 63 min Part of Series: Masters of Horror   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- Imprint 1. Main Titles [1:14] 2. Looking for a Girl [7:05] 3. The Promise [8:40] 4. "Tell Me Your Story" [7:33] 5. Missing Ring [9:33] 6. Betrayal [8:50] 7. The Truth [18:54] 8. End Credits [1:21]